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Failed GPU on MacBook Pro 2012 - is it worth repairing or should I cut my losses?

L

Lloyde92

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 8, 2019
5
1
Hi there

My MacBook Pro 2012 has recently been having problems (it crashed while I was using Photoshop and since then I’m getting no screen activity when I boot up, even though I am hearing the startup noise).

The local repair guy says he’s 95% sure it’s a failed GPU and has quoted £265 / $340 for a replacement with a 30-day warranty.

Just wondering if it’s worth paying for the repair or if I should just cut my losses and buy a new MacBook?

I’d like to hang onto it as long as I can but my worry is that the same thing will happen again, or the logic board itself will fail in the near future. I’m just curious to know how much life may be left in the machine really.

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks very much

Lloyd
 
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Audit13 said:
I assume your MBP is a 15" retina? I did not hear about the mid-2012 non-retina MBPs have a GPU issue.
Click to expand...

Sorry yes, 15” non retina.

That is odd. Do you think it could be anything else?

The first time it crashed I was using Photoshop - I was able to reboot after this though. However upon rebooting I reloaded all my apps and tried to force quit Photoshop as it wasnt reminding. As soon as I clicked Force Quit, the machine just cut out and I haven’t been able to see anything on screen since.

The repair guy said a build up of dust lead to something overheating and blowing the GPU - he says he’s 95% sure this is the cause.
 
I always thought MBP had built-in heat sensors that would throttle and eventually shutdown MacBook if it exceeded normal operating temps.

Is the repair person an authorize Apple repair tech?

Have you tried performing and SMC and nvram reset?

Tried booting in safe mode?
 
Audit13 said:
I always thought MBP had built-in heat sensors that would throttle and eventually shutdown MacBook if it exceeded normal operating temps.

Is the repair person an authorize Apple repair tech?

Have you tried performing and SMC and nvram reset?

Tried booting in safe mode?
Click to expand...

He is authorised I believe, according to his website. Seems to have great five star/genuine reviews on Google.

Have tried all of those sadly to no avail.
 
Lloyde92 said:
He is authorised I believe, according to his website. Seems to have great five star/genuine reviews on Google.

Have tried all of those sadly to no avail.
Click to expand...
Is the repair person able to tell you exactly what's wrong?

When I bring a dead MBP and MBA to the repair tech that I use, he immediately starts checking the functionality of all major capacitors and resistors to determine the exact problem.
 
Audit13 said:
Is the repair person able to tell you exactly what's wrong?

When I bring a dead MBP and MBA to the repair tech that I use, he immediately starts checking the functionality of all major capacitors and resistors to determine the exact problem.
Click to expand...

He said he’s 95% certain the non-integrated GPU is causing the problem - I saw he had it hooked up to some testing device with wires I think?

He said it was very dusty inside when he opened it which likely caused a short circuit somehow?
 
Since s/he was not 100% sure it's the GPU, it could be something else. I'm not questioning the tech's competence, I was just wondering about the certainty of the diagnosis.

I believe all MacBooks with a discrete GPU boot using the integrated Intel GPU and remains using the Intel GPU until called to run a graphics-intensive program or task.

With the mid-2010, many techs thought the GPU was the problem but, in fact, the problem was caused by an under-rated capacitor that handles the switching from Intel to nVidia graphics.
 
Last edited:
Audit13 said:
Was s/he 100% sure it's the GPU?

With the mid-2010, many techs thought the GPU was the problem but, in fact, the prblem was caused by an under-rated capacitor that handles the switching from Intel to nVidia graphics.
Click to expand...

Sorry I added more to my reply (sent by accident!).

He wasn’t 100% no. I’ll definitely bring up what you mentioned. Do you think this would be more/less expensive to fix the capacitor if this was the issue?
 
Lloyde92 said:
Sorry I added more to my reply (sent by accident!).

He wasn’t 100% no. I’ll definitely bring up what you mentioned. Do you think this would be more/less expensive to fix the capacitor if this was the issue?
Click to expand...
Surface-mounted capacitors and/or resistors should not normally be a problem with a tech who is comfortable performing board-level repairs. The parts themselves are pretty cheap, it's the labour that is expensive.

If it is the GPU chip that is defective, you're better off getting a replacement unless the tech is able to replace the GPU for a decent price.

My repair tech replace a defective GPU on a late 2011 15" but it was not cheap; however, it was much cheaper that getting a new MBP.
 
Well, projecting that on your 2012 the next things to fail would be
1-battery
2- keyboard
3-magsafe plug
4-screen hinge

and the new GPU will outlive them all.
 
Lloyde92 said:
I’d like to hang onto it as long as I can but my worry is that the same thing will happen again, or the logic board itself will fail in the near future. I’m just curious to know how much life may be left in the machine really.
Click to expand...

Repairing a laptop this old is always a risk. It could live for a couple more years, or it could develop an additional fault within the next 6 months. I'd say the 1-year survival rate for your machine would be in the ballpark of 50%, most optimistically speaking. Would I pay over $300 repair on it? Not really. Still, its something you could risk in the hopes that it will live another year at which point you can upgrade to a next-gen MBP...

By the way, 30 days warranty on repair strikes me as very short. I thought it was usually 3 months?


Audit13 said:
I assume your MBP is a 15" retina? I did not hear about the mid-2012 non-retina MBPs have a GPU issue.
Click to expand...

It's a 6 year computer. It can have issue with anything. Just because a certain generation of laptops has a higher chance to develop certain kind of problem doesn't mean that all other generations are completely free of this possibility.
 
From memory, the 2012 non-retina is essentially a spec-bumped Late-2011. Those models were notorious for failed dGPU - once it goes, it's useless (barring the couple of "disable failed dGPU threads here) until repaired.

I had the GPU replaced.. twice.. maybe 3 times, I don't remember (all under AppleCare/Extended Repair program) on my 2011 17" - it's now considered obsolete and the only parts you can find are from third parties (e.g. iFixit/etc in the US, or I found a place in Hong Kong that works for me (closer, cheaper).

Unless you are literally unable to buy another computer, I would say goodbye to your workhorse and thank it for its service. Since my 2011 became "obsolete" I've had to replace (myself because the authorised service place here refuses to service it - possibly contractual obligations about where they source parts) the fans three times in about 12 months. It's not hard, it's not expensive but it's annoying, and honestly I don't know what will fail next.

I'll keep replacing the fans (I ordered extra spares last time) and will add a new SSD to replace the (also non functional) optical drive, and let the machine run iTunes and a home security camera setup. But the days of using it for anything remotely critical (i.e. work or even study) it's not an option IMO.

If the other components are OK, you may find it's got some value for parts, if you wanted to offset some of the cost of a new machine.
 
Some strange advice and worrying guesswork with these replies so far. Let’s go with the basics.

It doesn’t matter if a MBP had a repair program or not for the GPU. The failure rate for MBPs with a dGPU is always far higher. The mid 2012 is not a “beefed up” 2011 as suggested above, which the humblest of search engine results would have immediately revealed if unsure. It uses Nvidia rather than AMD GPUs.

What you’ve described does not sound like an official service provider. It’s just one guy and they’ve cited a 30 day period for warranty on the part — big no-no, as Apple have 90 days.

If you take it to an Apple Store or an AASP, they will identify the faulty component (diagnostic is free) and give you a quote for the repair. Your model may be EOL but it’s worth doing that first.

If you are unsure, let me know the name/address of the repair shop and I will locate the closest AASP to that.

Yes, it does sound like graphics and no, I absolutely would not trust their ability to run a component-level repair.
 
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keysofanxiety said:
he mid 2012 is not a “beefed up” 2011 as suggested above
Click to expand...

Excuse me Sir of zero mistakes. It's the last "unibody" or 2nd generation model, which was announced alongside the "retina" 3rd generation models. I assumed the details didn't change much - and I do humbly beg your forgiveness for it.

But while we're picking hairs about details and about searching (rather than say wasting time taking it to a physical store): this computer is on the Vintage/Obsolete list - neither Apple (nor it's Service Providers) will provide spare parts for Obsolete items, and they're only available for Vintage items in Turkey and California.

So, the reason for a 30 day warranty is clear: it's either a used complete part (main board with CPU and dGPU soldered on), or a repair using cannibalised parts from another machine.

So, sure. You may not trust the abilities of that particular technician/company - but ultimately OP has few other choices if he wants to go the repair route.
 
Did you try connecting an external monitor? If you get a picture then it's the cable connecting the screen with the motherboard. I have the same MBP, no image when I boot or flip it open to wake it up, so i have to wait for the machine to warm up and constantly pressing esc to see an image on the screen. During winter it takes 5-20 minutes, summer takes 10 seconds.
 
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I spoke to a repair guy about repairing old tech. He said that he'd have to get the part from a used machine. The part might last ten minutes or ten years. He would not be able to offer any kind of warranty on such a repair. OTOH, the business he was at gave me a 90-day warranty on my 2015 MacBook Pro and would sell me a six-month warranty for a little more. I do have a dead late 2011 17 and I would like to get it working again but it's something that I will have to think about. The 2014+2015 I have right now is what I need (one reliable machine and one reliable backup) so I'm good for now. Too bad - the late 2011 is nice outside of the GPU issues. I do wish that I could do the repair myself - I am handy with a soldering iron but replacing a chip with a lot of pins can be pretty challenging.
 
Sounds awefully similar to my 2012 rMBP which had the vCore chip (that supplies power to the nvidia dGPU) with bad solder joints. You can read about it here.

The simplest of fixes would be to start the machine using single-user mode (cmd+r) or singl-user-recovery (cmd+r+s) and entering the string nvram fa4ce28d-b62f-4c99-9cc3-6815686e30f9:gpu-power-prefs=%01%00%00%00 and then restarting the machine.

Or, it could be problem with the cable that connects the lcd, in which case the HDMI connection would work if you connect your laptop to an external monitor/tv. If nothing shows on the external monitor the cable is unlikely to be the cause.
 
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